Sizing solution and method of making the same.



STA

RA -BEN caries.

MAURICE N. AISEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that'I, MAURICE N. AISEN, a subject of the King of Roumania,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Sizing Solution and Method of Makingthe Same, of which the following is a specification.

The universal practice heretofore, so far as known to me, of makingsizing has been to dissolve glue or gelatin in water, the solution beingprepared by first soaking the glue or gelatin for a few hours in coldwater, during which time it will absorb many times its weight of water.To efl'ect solution the mass is heated and stirred, its consistencydepending upon the relative proportions of water and glue or gelatin.For the best results the temperature should not exceed212 F. Such sizingsolution is used in several arts, that most familiar to me being themanufacture of hats. In the manufacture of straw braid hats,according-to known methods, the hat is formed by stitching a continuouslength of braid with an allowance for shrinkage. In sizing a hat of thischaracter it is placed upon a block and the hot sizing rubbed in by asponge or cloth with which it is applied by hand. The sizing must bekept hot and sufiiciently dilute to permit proper working by theoperator and absorption by the hat material. The excess of materialallowed in the hat for shrinkage is taken up during the application ofthe sizing and the hat will shrink to the mold or block upon which itmust remain until it is dry or has become set, or it may be removed fromthe mold after the sizing has set into the fiber sufliciently far thatthere is no liability of further shrinkage. The drying of the hat,either on or off the block, has usually been done in an open room atatmospheric temperature, taking about twelve hours, more or less,according to the degree of humidity of the atmosphere. It has sometimesbeen done in a heated drying room, but the hat must remain on the moldto prevent excessive shrinkage.

Among the disadvantages due to the use of a water solution of glue, andwell known to those familiar with the hat industry, are the expenseincident to the number of blocks or molds required, the space requiredin their use and for their storage, and the rela-:

tively high cost, as an operator must size each hat separately, place itupon the block Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1, 1917.

Application filed April 28, 1914. Serial No. 834,884.

the shrinkage takes place, must be so regulated that the greatercontraction of the cot- 'ton thread in drying will not distort orwrinkle the braid.

As it is the presence of the water in the sizing which gives rise to theshrinking of the material to which the sizing is applied, the problemhas been to retain the use of glue or gelatin as a sizing material,because of its cheapness and effectiveness, and to find some othersolvent the use of which would not result in the shrinking of the goodstreated. My efforts have, therefore, been directed along this line and Ihave succeeded in modifying the properties of glue and gelatin byhydrolysis thereby rendering them soluble in an organic solvent such asmethyl or ethyl alcohol, such composition when applied to a fabric willnot cause the fabric to shrink. Also, it permits the sizingof hats inrelatively large numbers at one time, thereby materially reducing thecost connected with the sizing operation.

The chief constituent of all glue, that which in the main imparts to itthe property of gelatination, is gelatin, but it is difficult to knownto me, have been insoluble in alcohol, acetone, ether and other organicsolvents. As hydrolyzing agents I have used mineral acids, such asnitric acid, hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid. Organic acids may beused in connection with a mineral acid and, among others which I haveused, are formic acid, acetic acid and lactic acid. Or I may use analkaline hydrolyzing agent such as potassium or sodium hydroxid.

The present application will be confined to acid 25 per cent. pure, andthree and onehalf pounds of water. These are mixed and shaken oragitated in any convenient manner to produce a homogeneous mixture. Ithen add ten pounds of powdered glue and -mix, taking careithatthe glueis well covered by the liquid. This is allowed to stand fromone, tothree hours, and then I add alcohol as desired and shake or agitate forabout fifteen minutes. i v

Example 2: I take about eight to ten pounds of hydrochloricacid,'calculated as pure hydrogen chlorid, t'o100, pounds of glue, andadd the acid to one gallon of alco- 1101.. To this liquid, while. heatedtoiabout' 120 to 130 F., the glue is added and the mixture allowedtostand at that temperature for about one hour with occasional stirring;during this time hydrolysis of the glue ensues and the glue is dissolvedin the alcohol. Any suitable means for heating the solution may beprovided.

Example 3: The glue may also be dissolved by mixing it, preferably inpowdered form, with an aqueoussolution of an organic acid, such asformic acid, tannic acid, tartaric acid, or the like, and passingthrough the mixture sulfurous acid gas, hydrochloric acid gas, or likeacid forming-gas, introducing the gas into the body of the mixture,which is in a closed tank or vessel, and permitting it to permeatethrough the same. .This produces a viscous liquid of about theconsistency of thick syrup to which alcohol is added in suflicientquantity to produce the desired viscosity of the alcoholic solution, themixture being agitated for about fifteen minutes. In following this modeof pro-. ducing the solution I add two pounds'of formic acid 25 percent. pure to two pounds of water and shake until thoroughly mixed. Ithen add ten pounds of powdered glue and ,mix, taking care that the glueis well covered by the liquid. The mixture is placed in a closed vesseland into it is introduced a current of sulfurous acid gas orhydrochloric acid gas, fora period of from one to .two

hours, the mixture being maintained at atemperature'of from 80 to 90 F.The alcohol is then added as desired and the mass agitated for aboutfifteen minutes.

Example 4: Ten per cent. of potassium hydroxid, of the weight of glue tobe dissolved, is dissolved in two gallons of alcohol and the mixtureheated to about 120 F. The glue is then added} with stirring, and themixture heated to about 145 to 150 F.

in a vessel containing means to recover the alcohol vapor. The mixtureis heated at this temperature for about one hour or one hour and a halfand then neutralized by the addition of a suitable acid eithercompletely or to any desired degree which is not harmful to the glue orto the material treated.

A certain amount of acid does not render the composition unsuitable forcertain industrial purposes. An undue amount of mineral acid will. intimeimpair the efficiency of'the composition as a sizing,,and ifpermitted to remain in the composition might hydrolyze the glue to adegree which will render the composition less effective. Also the acidis' apt to be harmful to cellulose braids of which hats are made.Therefore, when the composition of examples 1, 2 or 3' is to be used asasizing Ieither neutralize all the mineral acid, or neutralize it to adegre at which 'its'presence is not harmful, either to the glue or tothe hat material, say down to 1 to 5 per cent. by weight of the acidused. An organic acid, if used, does not destroy or impair the qualitiesof the glue and need not be neutralized when the compound is used as asizing. The neutralization of. the acid, if such is necessary ordesired, may be effected by adding sodi um or potassium hydroxid, sodiumcarbonate or the like. The salts produced by reaction between theneutralizing alkali and the acid are either precipitated, in which casethe solution may be filtered or decanted, or will remain in solution inthe alcohol without detriment to the sizing.

Instead of using an acid direct, I may use salts whlch, 1n theirrespective water solutions, will develop an acid by hydrolysis, as forexample, bisulfite of soda, chlorid of zinc or other salt having thesame property.

I have found that the presence of a certain amount of water, even 25 to30 per cent., in

the solution is not detrimental; the amount I of Water which may bepresent without detriment depends upon the-coefficient of contraction ofthe goods.

In the method'above described in which a mineral acid and an organicacid are mixed in solution, the organic acid increases the stiffness ofthe sizing on the goods to which it is'applied. And in that process inwhich an acid forming-gas is passed through an .organic acid solutionthe latter serves as a solvent for the former, thereby reducing to someextent the amount of mineral acid required to effect the hydrolysis ofthe glue.

The composition obtained by any one of the above described methods, thatis, a composition of matter containing glue dissolved in alcohol, may beused in ways known in the arts for which sizings are necessary, and Ihave in a companion application described and claimed a mode of usewhich has proved beneficial in the hat industry.

neutral alcoholic sizing solution containing I "acid.

4. A sizing consisting of a liquid vehicle having non-shrinln'ngtendencies on cellulose material and containing a stiffening substancedissolved in said vehicle.

5. A sizing consisting of a liquid vehicle having non-shrinkingtendencies on cellulose material and containing glue dissolved in 'saidvehicle.

6. The method of making a solution containing glue consisting in firsthydrolyzing the glue by an acid, then dissolving it in an thenneutralizing the acid to the degree de-- sired.

- 8. The method of making a solution containing glue consisting in firsthydrolyzing the glue by a mixture of a mineral acid and an organic acid,and then dissolvingit in an organic solvent."

9. The method of dissolving glue in alcohol by mixing an acid with thealcohol and then treating the glue with the mixture of acid and alcoholwith the application of heat. I

10. The method of manufacturing an al- .coholic sizing solution.consisting inmixing an acid with alcohol, then dissolving glue in themixture of acid and alcohol with the aid of heat and then neutralizingthe acid in the solutlon to the degree required.

11. The process of manufacturing an alcoholic sizing solution consistingin mixing a mineral acid with alcohol heating the said mixture andadding glue thereto and maintaining the temperature until the glue isdissolved, and then neutralizing the acid in the solution to the degreerequired.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnes s es. a

' MAURIQE N. AISEN.

Witnesses:

E. CALDWELL, E. PAsonKn.

